


Wonderland || Naruto Various x Reader

by toffy59



Category: Naruto
Genre: Choose Your Own Ending, F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toffy59/pseuds/toffy59
Summary: She was parentless, penniless, and powerless, but that didn't stop her from becoming the greatest kunoichi the world had ever seen.(Y/n) (L/n) had nothing to her name. She didn't belong to a powerful clan like the Uchihas or the Hyuugas. Her parents, in fact, were normal villagers, slaving their days to make enough money to survive until they had fallen sick. She was left alone in a broken-down shack with nothing except her pet snake, Aoi. Until one day, a mysterious white-haired man appears at her door, granting her the opportunity of a lifetime that would unfold the secrets kept sealed within her.--------------------------This will be a slow-burn naruto various x reader and the mc will not be powerful right off the bat, she has to grow in power, strength, and maturity. I don't own the Naruto characters except for my own characters. Enjoy the story!
Relationships: Aburame Shino/Reader, Akimichi Chouji/Reader, Gaara (Naruto)/Reader, Haruno Sakura & Reader, Hatake Kakashi & Reader, Hyuuga Hinata & Reader, Hyuuga Neji/Reader, Inuzuka Kiba & Reader, Nara Shikamaru & Reader, Temari (Naruto)/Reader, Tenten (Naruto)/Reader, Uchiha Itachi & Reader, Uchiha Obito & Reader, Uchiha Sasuke & Reader, Uzumaki Naruto & Reader, Yamanaka Ino & Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	1. Introduction: Before the Story Starts

**Introduction: Before the Story Starts**

_Please Read!_

Hello, this is my first naruto fanfiction, and it is still a work in progress!

You guys can romance the male and female characters and for those concerned about the age difference I'll explain. Anyone who is an adult will not have any romantic feelings towards the mc until the mc is an adult. This also means that I'm going to be altering the ages of the characters slightly to fit the timeline better and to make it possible. 

I'm going to be going off the manga because it's a lot easier. Also, I will be changing the story and timeline because this mc isn't just going to be a part of what's going on, she's going to shape outcomes.

I will be giving the mc a ninja outfit, but anyone can change it, no one has to follow it.

The way I write is usually in the third p.o.v because I feel the most comfortable with it. Sometimes I'll add in the first p.o.v, but I'll never write anything in the second p.o.v.


	2. A New Opportunity

**A New Opportunity**

_Long ago, when the world was thrown into chaos, a new beast emerged from the fire. This beast wreaked destruction wherever it laid its eyes and to control the strength of the beast, a curse was placed. The beast was locked away from the world and the only way it could return was through the bond created with a host._ _For many, they thought the beast would be locked away forever so that their children's grandchildren would never have to face the wrath of the beast, but for the few, they knew that a wild beast can never be tamed forever._

✦✧✦✧

It was a late afternoon when they finally succumbed to their illness. There was a nasty plague spreading around the rural village. This plague had claimed the lives of most of the poor villagers. The only people that were left were either holding onto the last bit of life they had or were slowly weakening.

A young girl of nothing but seven years old sat in front of her parent's dull corpses. Her puffy (e/c) eyes didn't dare look away. Her lips quiver at the sight of her parents. She had also fallen ill, however, she had been recovering, unlike her family and the rest of the village.

Their last words to her were that God had given her another chance at life and to not throw it away in his name. She had laughed inwardly, never really believing in things like God and religion. Salty tears flow down her (s/t) cheeks, missing the warmth of her mother's hugs.

Soon night falls upon the eerie shack. The only thing she could hear was the crickets outside. She closes her eyes, letting her face sink into her knees when something wraps around her leg, slithering upwards. She glances down at the vibrant blue snake that had its crimson eyes glued onto her. She softly smiles as she pets the snake.

"At least I still have you, Aoi" she mumbles, and the snake slithers up her arm to wrap its body around her neck. He places his head down to rest on her shoulder, closing his eyes. She sadly sighs and closes her eyes once more, letting sleep overtake her body.

_The burning sun was the only thing I could feel on my skin. It was another boring, summer day that was filled with chores. Sweat slides down my face, dripping onto the dirt as I sweep the leaves. Aoi stayed wrapped around my neck._

_Mother had said that they had found him wrapped around me when I was a baby. She had told me how when father tried to pull him away from my body, Aoi had hissed and tried to bite him. At first, she was scared for my life, but she then understood that Aoi was just trying to protect me._

_Since then Aoi had been with me through everything. Always wrapped around my neck making sure I didn't stray far away from my home. Making sure that I didn't get myself lost or in trouble. He was always looking out for me._

✦✧✦✧

He couldn't handle the stench of death as he walks into the broken shack. He brings his left palm to cover his nose, hoping it would somehow block out the smell of the rotting corpses. He cautiously walks into a moldy living room where two corpses lay beside each other. Insects covered every inch of their skeletal faces and he knew that if he were to remove the blankets covering the bottom half of the bodies, then he would see insects crawl all over.

He scans the room with his black eyes until he spots a small, frail body. The child had tangled, oily (h/c) hair and a baggy, grey kimono shirt with matching pants full of holes. He notices the way the child's thin frame made their bones protrude in a sickly manner. He slowly steps forward, trying not to frighten the child.

He stops when the child looks up at him with sunken eyes and lips bent downwards. Their (e/c) eyes devoid of any emotions. He notices a blue snake around their neck, staring at him warily. He crouches down to be at eye level with the child, "My name is Jiraiya, what's yours?"

"(Y/n)" the child weakly replies back and lifts a bony finger to point at the blue snake, "And this is Aoi, my friend."

He nods at her, "How long have they been dead for?"

"Four days" she mumbles, and her head drops down, but she pushes her head back up to look at the white-haired man.

Her head falls once again and she tries to keep it up, but her body falls forward and hits the cold wooden floor. She couldn't keep her eyes open. She had nothing to eat or drink for the past four days and her body was malnourished. The last thing she saw was the man picking up her body, carrying her away from her parents' corpses.

Jiraiya didn't care if the child in his arms gave him whatever illness was being spread around. He simply walks outside into the streets full of corpses. He was on a journey to write the next part of his novel when he had stumbled upon the rural village for a break.

He didn't know the situation they were in until he saw the corpses lined on the dirt path. He would have quickly left if he hadn't sensed a faint chakra source. He took pity on the child and so he decided to get her out of that situation. He slowly walks down the dirt path making his way to the nearest hospital.

He glances down at the snake still curled up around her neck, "Please don't bite me."

The snake flicks its tongue as if saying 'no promises' and Jiraiya sighs. He wasn't a fan of snakes because they reminded him of his old friend. He finally arrives in front of the familiar, large green gates. He really didn't want to come back so early to his home, but he had no other choice. The gates open at his announcement.

He ignores the questions about the girls and walks towards the hospital. Once he's in the hospital he explains the details of his founding's and a nurse lead him quickly to a quarantine section of the hospital. He lays the sleeping child on the bed and the nurses get to work with inserting an IV to nourish the child.

"She's heavily dehydrated and extremely frail, she might not make it in this state," one of them says and another nurse rests her hands on the child's chest. A green aura forms around the hands.

"Then try your best to save her life, I leave it to you both" Jiraiya states and a figure appears at the door. He wore a long red kimono with a white robe over it. He also wore a white and red hat, signaling his importance in the village.

"Why have you returned to Konohagakure?" the old man asks as he inhales from his smoking pipe.

"I came across this young girl in a village outside of here. I found her sitting next to the corpses of her parents," Jiraiya informs him and he crosses his arms over his chest with sadness, "She has nothing."

The old man takes a closer look at the girl. Her skin was so thin that her bones were heavily defined. If he had found her himself, he would have thought that she was a corpse. He takes in a drag from his smoking pipe, "Alert me when she awakens, for now, save her life."

✦✧✦✧

Bright rays of sunshine land on her eyelids causing her to open her eyes slowly. She glances around the room and her eyes widen. She was in an unfamiliar room. She brings her hand up to her neck to pet her friend, however, he wasn't there. She panics as she leans her body to the side to push herself up.

She sits in the bed, frantically looking around for the blue snake. She brings her hands to her eyes sobbing at the thought of losing him.

"Why are you crying?" a man's voice asks and she uncovers her eyes to look at the man. Jiraiya stood at the doorway with a cute, blue snake in his hand. He moves over to her bed and places the snake beside her.

She lets out a choked sob as she brings the snake up to her face feeling relieved that her friend was fine. Jiraiya smiles down at the girl, his heart touched by the sight. He knew what it felt like to lose someone close.

"She's awake?" a woman's voice says and (Y/n) glances at the nurse whose face expressed astonishment. Jiraiya nods and she brings her hands to her face, "I'll alert the Third Hokage."

She runs away into the halls, her shoes clacking. (Y/n) glances at Jiraiya with a questioning look and he smiles at her, "I had to get you to the nearest hospital, and it was here in Konoha. The Third Hokage wants to speak with you, most likely about your living arrangement here."

"Living arrangement?" she mumbles weakly, and he nods.

"You're going to be staying here and he's going to give you a new opportunity," he informs her, and an old man walks into the room. Her (e/c) eyes gaze at him cautiously. She brings Aoi closer to her small body.

The old man smiles down at her warmly, his face wrinkling even more, "I'm the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm aware of your current situation and I would like for you to stay here in the village. I'll arrange everything you need to live here."

"What would I do?" (Y/n) asks him shyly.

"You can join our ninja academy; you still have time before you can enroll. So, would you like to stay?" he kindly asks with his hands behind his back.

"Can Aoi stay too?" she asks him, and he smiles widely at her as if she had just said the cutest thing in the world.

"Yes, of course, he can."

✦✧✦✧

Jiraiya stood at the green gates with a (h/c) haired child standing behind him. It had been a week since she had started living in the village and she no longer looked like a corpse. She had grown a bit of fat around her body. She wore a simple graphic tee shirt with Konoha's symbol on it and shorts.

"Are you sure you have to go?" she asks the white-haired man and he pats her head.

"I have to go on a few missions before I can come back, so it might take a while. In the meantime, try your best to get along with the kids on the block. Don't scare them off with Aoi" he lectures her.

"Not my fault they made fun of his name!" she huffs with a pout and he ruffles her hair.

"I'll be going, take care," he says, and she gives him a small smile. His heart warms at the smile. He had only seen her smile at things like flowers and Aoi, so it was new for her to smile at him.

"Take care and bring me back chocolate," she says, and he ruffles her hair one last time.

Jiraiya crosses the gates and stands in the forest. He grips onto the bags he carries on his back, his lips trembling. He was trying so hard to hold back a sob. Tears escape his eyes as he walks through the door, leaving his foster daughter.


	3. The Academy

**The Academy**

_A wild beast could never be tamed even if it stops resisting against the chains. It will find a way to continue its ambitions and will deceive those who are weak. It will stop at nothing until it can carry out its revenge on the humans who locked it away. One day, the chains will break, and the cage will be opened and, on that day, the world will feel its wrath._

✦✧✦✧

Five lonely years had passed since she showed up in Konoha. Jiraiya never came back, instead, he had sent her gifts and letters every month. Among those gifts were frog plushies that she kept on her bed. She had joined the Academy out of respect for Sarutobi's generosity to let her live in the village.

When she had joined, she had tried making friends with the people in her class, but they grew scared of her when news of her village became widespread. The children had grown scared of catching the plague and a nasty rumor was created.

They said that she had the 'Death Touch' meaning that whoever got close to her would surely catch the plague and die. Since she was a new girl in an unknown village, she had decided to stay away from everyone. The only people she conversed with were the old lady next door and Sarutobi when he came to give her money or Jiraiya's gifts.

Even at the Academy, she stayed away from everyone to the point she blended in with the shadows. She never volunteered or participated in any of the activities. Her classmates would get together or go to the park and she would simply watch wishing she could join them.

Becoming a shadow made everyone overlook her, except for two people. One was her sensei, Iruka. He had his brown hair tied back and had a horizontal scar on the bridge of his nose. He was always looking out for her since she would always fall behind in her classes. She wasn't one to pay attention or understand the concept quickly like her classmates, so he always held her back to tutor her.

The other person was surprising. He was the head of the Nara clan, Shikaku Nara. A man with black hair tied up into a spiky ponytail and two scars on the right side of his face. The way they had met was in the middle of a busy path.

She was trying to buy apples from one of the local street benders, but he had mistaken her for a thief and whacked her in the face with a broomstick. Shikaku was walking by when he had seen what the vendor had done.

He walked up to them and reprimanded the vendor for acting in such a way towards an innocent child. He had then bought her the apples and walked her home. Since then he would check up on her occasionally. He would even invite her over to eat with his family or to meet his son, but she would always decline the offer feeling undeserving of the kindness.

A scaly tail slaps her forehead and she let out a groan. Aoi was telling her to get up. For some reason, he always woke her up by hitting her with his tail. Although they couldn't speak to each other, they could still understand each other's thoughts.

Her (e/c) eyes look over to his red eyes and he narrows down his eyes. She rolls her eyes at him and sits up. The apartment she lived in was bare. There was no decoration, no painted walls, no nothing. Her living room had an old couch with a coffee table in front of it and a carpet underneath. She had no dining table, instead, she just used the coffee table and would sit on the ground.

Her kitchen had old wood cabinets that were chipped. She had no stove because it cost too much so she used an electric cooktop and she had a small fridge. A huge bowl was placed on one of the countertops that had various arrangements of her favorite fruits.

Her bedroom was slightly different than her home. Her bed was large so it could fit all her stuffed plushies and was placed pushed against the far wall that had a large window overlooking the forest area. A wooden desk was to the left of the bed and a tall, wide bookcase stood to the right of the doorway.

Aoi hisses at her to get moving and she rolls her eyes again. Today was the last day of the Academy. She had surprisingly passed her exam even though the clone technique was the hardest jutsu she had learned. She slides out of bed and walks up to her wardrove to put on her outfit after taking off her pajamas.

She puts on a blank tank top after putting on a black sports bra and puts on high-rise black fishnets. She puts on black, high-waisted shorts that reach her mid-thigh over the fishnets and tucks in the tank top. She then puts on her black ninja sandals and puts a belt through the holes of her shorts.

She then grabs her (f/c) colored, cropped hoodie with wide sleeves and pulls it on. She fixes her hair and pulls the hood up to cover her head. She attaches her black whip to the left side of her belt and attaches two pouches to the right side of the belt.

Once her kunai and shuriken were neatly placed inside the pouches, she picks up Aoi with her hands and heads to the kitchen to have breakfast. She sets Aoi down on the countertop before fixing scrambled eggs for herself. One thing she loved greatly was cooking. She was a huge foodie.

Breakfast was now done and after finishing her breakfast, she brushes her teeth, fixes her outfit, and then places her forehead protector in her preferred place. She grabs Aoi and he wraps around her throat, keeping warm around her neck. She walks out of her apartment and locks it behind her.

A breeze passes by her as she walks towards the stairs when her neighbor opens the door. Her neighbor was an elderly woman who had thin white hair and empty brown eyes. The elderly woman was kind, "Oh! (Y/n)! You look so cute with your forehead protector. Are you going off to the Academy now?"

"Yes, Fukumoto-sama," (Y/n) replies with a smile.

The old lady frowns, "I told you to call me by my first name, and here, have this bento box I made."

(Y/n) cups her hands for the lady to place the bag with the bento box in her hands, "Thank you, Mirai-sama."

"Good luck," Mirai taps (Y/n)'s hands loving and waves at the girl once she walks down the stairs.

(Y/n) walks through the dirt streets of Konoha. One hand carrying the bento box while the other hand was pulling down slightly on the collar of her hoodie so she can talk to Aoi.

"Mirai-sama is very kind, isn't she?" (Y/n) speaks down to Aoi.

His tongue flickers in agreement and she hums to herself wondering how the day was going to be. She closes her eyes as the breeze blows through her body. The wind was calm, but there was a tinge of uncertainty.

"It seems like something exciting is going to happen today, Aoi," she mumbles while strolling into the Academy.

Her ears could hear the loud voices of an argument happening inside her classroom and she frowns. She hated it when people were too loud, especially early in the morning. It gave her a headache.

She slides open the door and people clearly don't even pay attention to her. She was just a shadow and she didn't mind it at all. She walks up the stairs but stops when two girls are bickering in front of her. One had pink hair and green eyes while the other had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

If she remembered correctly, the pinkette's name was Sakura Haruno and the blonde's name was Ino Yamanaka. Sakura was from a regular family while Ino was from one of the more prominent and important clans in Konoha. To (Y/n), a clan's name wasn't important if the person had no credibility.

They stood bickering in front of her and (Y/n) turns to her right to see what they were arguing about. A boy her age sat in his chair with black hair styled backward and dark onyx eyes. His hands were intertwined in front of him. He was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

After a year of her living in Konoha, the Uchiha Massacre had happened, and she had heard all about how Sasuke was the last one left. She felt pity for him because she knew how lonely he felt. However, she also hated it when people pitied her.

She turns her head slightly to see a short, blonde boy with blue eyes, Naruto, sitting next to Sasuke. She holds back the urge to smile when she realizes why the two girls were bickering. They basically wanted to sit next to Sasuke, but Naruto was in the way.

(Y/n) ponders whether she should speak up and ask for the girls to get out of the way when silence falls upon the room. She turns her head to look back to Sasuke and Naruto and she quickly covers her mouth. Naruto's lips were pressed against Sasuke's lips. In a split second, the two boys separate from the kiss and gag in disgust.

A muffled laugh comes from her lips knowing how the girls were going to react. Just as she had thought, Naruto was being ambushed by the various girls in the class and she took the chance to sidestep them and walk up the stairs to sit in the back of the room.

She sits down on the chair farthest from everyone which was next to the window. She props her chin on her hand and her eyes watch over a bruised Naruto get up from the floor. Sakura ended up sitting next to Sasuke while Naruto sat next to her with a scowl.

A smile appears on her face. She always wanted to be friends with the blonde, but she was too shy to even walk up to him. She wasn't shy; she was just scared of rejection. She closes her eyes, tuning out the noise, and buries her head in her arms, falling asleep in an instant. She always found sleeping in the classroom more fulfilling than sleeping in her bed.

Iruka held a piece of paper in his hands that had the names of his students on it. His brown eyes scan the room and stop when he sees (Y/n) sleeping on her desk. He sighs knowing he would have to wake her up later. She was always sleeping in his class.

He coughs to bring the attention of his students to him and he gives them a wide smile, "Congratulations all of you on passing the graduation exam and becoming genin! Now, usually, everyone is placed in teams of three, but this year is an exception because we have an extra student."

Everyone glances at Naruto because he was the last one to pass the exam miraculously. Iruka's smile grows wider as he starts reading out the teams, "Team 7 will consist of Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto becomes intrigued, "Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura drops her head in despair that she was to be paired up with Naruto while Naruto celebrates, "Sasuke Uchiha!"

Naruto slumps into his seat with a frown on his face and Sakura jumps up in celebration of being on the same team as Sasuke.

Iruka looks over the next name and he decides not to read it, "Team 8 consists of Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."

"For Team 10 it will be Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi," Iruka continues listing off the names until he comes to the end of the list. He opens his mouth to call out the last name, but Naruto interrupts him.

The energetic blonde stands up aggressively and points a finger towards Sasuke, "Why does a great shinobi like me have to be in the same team as that loser?!"

Iruka sighs in annoyance, "That's because you had the worst scores in the class while Sasuke had the best scores. You were placed on the same team to balance each other. However, your team is still missing someone."

He makes his way up the stairs and everyone turns around to see where their sensei was going. They watch curiously as he stands behind a classmate who had their head buried in their arms.

Iruka slowly pulls back the hoodie to reveal (h/c) colored hair. He smiles down at her and smacks her head with the paper. She groans, swatting his hand away before further burying her head into her arms.

"(Y/n), wake up" he says and grabs onto her exposed cheek. He pinches it lightly and she shoots her head up in annoyance. Her head tilts back to look up at him. He gives her a smile, "I'm announcing the teams. You're on Team 7 with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura."

"Oh...cool..." she mumbles and plops her head down on the desk to fall asleep.

Iruka smiles towards everyone, "After lunch, you are all to report back here to meet with your squad's jonin. Everyone is dismissed."

Everyone stands from their seats, each one looking behind at the sleeping girl wondering who she was. Ino approaches Sakura who was staring at (Y/n) with interest, "Hey, hey, you know who that is?"

"I'm not sure..." Sakura mumbles and walks down the stairs, "I can't remember."

Once everyone was outside, Iruka whacks her harder on the head with the paper. She shoots up in her seat, her eyes narrowing down into a glare, "Ow!"

"That's what you get for sleeping in my class," he states while placing his hands on his hips and giving her a frown, "How many times have I told you not to sleep in my class?"

"Enough times for me to want to do it more," she retorts.

He whacks her again on the head with the paper, "Go meet your teammates. Be social."

"What if they don't like me?" she asks, and he pauses.

He could see the fear in her eyes, the doubt of ever being able to make friends. He knew what that loneliness felt like. He squats down in front of her to look at her at eye level, "You would never know if you never try. Go on. I know for sure Naruto would be happy to be friends with you."

"Hm...I'll do it, but if they reject me then I'm blaming you," (Y/n) says and stands up from her seat with a playful smile.

He ruffles her hair, "And keep the hood down so they can see your face."

"Okay, that's pushing it too far," she jokes as she walks down the stairs. He watches her leave the classroom with a smile on his face. His previous meeting with the Hokage comes to his mind.

_The Jonin squad leaders and Iruka stood in the Hokage's private meeting room. The Third Hokage sat at a desk that had a crystal ball in front of him that was showing the events of Sasuke and Naruto kissing. Comments were made about how reckless Naruto was. Until one comment made everyone go silent._

_"Who's that?" someone asks and they all look at the crystal ball._

_A girl was walking up the steps when the kiss had happened. It appeared that no one had seen her even though she was walking in the middle of everyone. The Third Hokage frowns, "That is (Y/n). She came here from that village that was stricken with a plague."_

_"According to these evaluations, she's got one of the lowest scores in the graduating class almost as low as Naruto's," a man with a cigarette in his mouth points out, "I'm surprised she passed."_

_"Don't let her poor scores fool you," the Third Hokage speaks up, "There is something strange to this child, something after five years that I haven't figured out so there is only one person who can deal with her. Kakashi, she is yours."_


	4. Team 7

**Team 7**

_Years of tranquility made those ignorant to the power of the beast. The stories of the once fearsome beast have become nothing but forgotten folklore. However, this silence has become a blessing to the beast for no one seems to know its dark conspiracy until they fall victim to it._

✦✧✦✧

(Y/n) had tried her best to talk to her teammates, but they seemed to be occupied. She tried to talk to Naruto, but he had run into the bathroom. She tried to talk to Sakura, but she was talking to Sasuke. And she tried to talk to Sasuke, but he seemed to be in a foul mood.

She sat gloomily in her seat waiting for her team leader to come. Everyone else had left so it was only Team 7 that was left in the room. Naruto kept looking around impatiently hoping their leader would come soon. However, something else caught his eyes.

In an instant, he was crouched in front of (Y/n) with a pout, "Hey! I've never seen you before..."

(Y/n) awkwardly blushes at the closeness and Aoi pops out of her hoodie to look at Naruto. He shouts out in surprise, "You have a blue snake?!"

"Yes," she smiles at him and unravels Aoi around her neck to show him. Any sign of shyness disappeared as excitement for her companion replaced it, "His name is Aoi."

"That's so cool!" Naruto smiles brightly, "Hey, hey, what's your name? My name's Naruto."

"I'm (Y/n)," she smiles at him.

"(Y/n), I want to have a cool pet like that too. Where did you get him?" Naruto asks and he moves his head to examine every detail on the blue snake's scales.

"Actually, my parents said they found me in a box with him wrapped around me," she explains, "They said whoever had left me had also left this snake in the box with me to protect me."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaims in awe.

"Naruto! Stop shouting," Sakura scolds him and she lets out a disgusted squeal when her green eyes see the blue snake, "Why do you have a snake?!"

"Look at who's screaming now," Naruto pouts.

(Y/n) giggles, "This is Aoi, he's my best friend."

"Why is he blue?" the pinkette questions and narrows her eyes down to look at the snake. She quickly backs away in fear when Aoi turns his head to look at her.

"I don't know," (Y/n) replies and looks at the snake, "Why are you blue?"

Aoi flicks his tongue, "He says that he was just born like that."

"You can talk to him?!" Naruto shouts out in complete astonishment.

"Yes, we've been friends for a long time, so we know how to communicate," she explains. She looks over Naruto's shoulder to look over at Sasuke. His onyx eyes were on her, staring at her, and he diverts them when they make eye contact.

Soon Naruto runs up to the door with a chalkboard eraser in his hand. He grabs onto a chair and pulls it next to the door. He hops on and places the eraser between the door and door frame, so it falls on the person who opens it.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sakura asks ready to scold him.

"I'm pulling a little prank to teach our sensei not to be late" Naruto grins wickedly.

"He's a jonin, he won't fall for it," Sasuke coldly states.

Sakura nods her head, "Yeah!"

Naruto looks over at (Y/n) to see what she would say, "Well...I guess you never know?"

"Hehe, that's the spirit!" Naruto smirks and they all go quiet when a hand grabs onto the sliding door.

The door slides open as a white-haired man's head peaks in. The eraser falls onto his head causing the four of them to go into a stunt silence. Naruto is the first to break the silence, "Haha! That's what you get for being late."

"I'm so sorry! I told Naruto not to do it and..." Sakura stutters hoping she wouldn't get on his bad side.

Sasuke and (Y/n) kept silent waiting for the man to say anything. He picks up the eraser from the floor and sighs, "Let's see...my first impression of you guys..."

"You're all idiots" he states, and everyone hangs their head down in shame.

✦✧✦✧

They sat on the rooftop of the Academy. The man who had come picked them up rests against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest. His one eye gazes at them boredly, as if he had something better to do.

The four of them sat on the stairs of the platform. Sasuke sat at the top of the stairs and (Y/n) sat next to him to his left on the bottom step. Naruto sat to her left while Sakura sat to Sasuke's right. Aoi rests in her hands.

The wind blows softly through her hair and she closes her eyes enjoying the feeling. Her attention is called forward when the man speaks, "How about we introduce ourselves?"

"What should we say?" Sakura asks.

"Simple things like your likes and dislikes, hobbies, and future dreams," he answers.

Naruto frowns, "Can you go first as an example?"

"Sure," the man complies, "My name is Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate...hm...I don't feel like telling you that. My future dreams...I never thought of them. As for my hobbies...I have lots of them."

"That wasn't helpful" Sakura mumbles and (Y/n) nods her head in agreement.

Kakashi looks over to the blonde boy, "Let's start with you."

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen and I hate the three minutes I have to wait for my ramen to cook. My hobby is trying and rating all of Ichiraku's ramen and my dream is to become the Hokage so the village will finally acknowledge my existence!"

(Y/n) looks over at him curiously. His words had resonated with her because she had also faced the harsh judgment of the village. Although, the way they treated him was harsher.

Kakashi nods and looks over at the pinkette, "You next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno, I like...I mean...who I like..." she cheerily says and glances over at Sasuke. She squeals, blushing, "And my hobby is...my future dream is..."

Sakura squeals with a bright red blush on her face and Aoi looks up at (Y/n) in annoyance at the girl. Kakashi's eye narrows down on Sakura, "And your dislikes?"

"Naruto!" Sakura points towards the blonde, her blush now replaced with a scowl.

"Eh?!" Naruto says in shock.

"Next person, you" Kakashi nods towards Sasuke.

He had his head resting on his intertwined hands and looked very distant, "My name's Sasuke Uchiha. I have a lot of dislikes and no likes. I have no hobbies. My dream is not a dream for I will make it a reality. I will restore my clan and kill a certain someone!"

_I hope he isn't thinking of killing me_ , Naruto thinks in horror.

_Sasuke is so cool!_ Sakura thinks in awe.

_I knew it_ , Kakashi thinks not shocked by the dark-haired boy's ambition.

_That's dark_ , (Y/n) thinks and turns her head back to look at Kakashi who had his eye on her, "You, you're the last person to introduce yourself."

"Okay. My name is (Y/n)," she says and brings up the blue snake for everyone to see, "This is Aoi, my best friend. I like reading. Aoi likes hunting mice. My dislikes are rude people and Aoi's dislikes are annoying people. Our hobbies include cooking and training. My dream...well...I don't really have one, but Aoi does! His dream is to eat all the mice he wants."

_She seems innocent and harmless_ , Kakashi nods, "Now that everyone has introduced themselves let's talk about our first mission. Tomorrow we will be taking a survival test."

"A survival test? But we've done that a bunch of times in the Academy?" Sakura questions.

"This is different, you see, out of all twenty-eight graduates, only sixty-six percent will continue on to become official genin. Everyone else will be sent back to the Academy."

"Then what was the purpose of the graduation exam?" (Y/n) asks, clearly panicked. She had barely passed the exam and now she had to do a survival test to stay a genin.

"It was to determine who was good enough to move on to the survival test," Kakashi answers and stands up, shoving his hands in his pockets, "The test will take place at the training grounds first thing in the morning. Oh, and don't eat breakfast or you'll throw up."

Before they could ask any more questions, Kakashi flickers away in an instant. (Y/n) stands up while putting Aoi around her neck. She pats away the dirt and turns to her teammate, "Anyone wants to train?"

Sakura blushes, "I have to help my mom with chores."

(Y/n) looks over at Naruto, "Sorry but I got some ramen to try out!"

She then looks over at Sasuke, but he was already walking away. It was clear to her that the dark-haired boy didn't want to associate with anyone on the team. She watches Naruto and Sakura walk away after they wave at her goodbye.

A frown appears on her face and she looks down at Aoi's head that poked out of the hoodie, "I guess it's just you and me bud."

✦✧✦✧

The afternoon drew in causing the sky to turn into an orange and pink glow. The sweat on her brow drips down the side of her face. She had trained the whole afternoon out of induced panic. She didn't want to go back to the Academy.

The glare of the sun's hues shines off her sweat. She lets her body sit down on one of the wood benches and she reaches down to grab her towel from her bag. Her hoodie was neatly tucked away in her bag while Aoi was still wrapped around her neck.

They had come up with fighting techniques that involved their cooperation. One of these techniques was a movement of her arm where Aoi would launch off her arm and bite down on the enemy to inject his venom.

She brings the towel up to her face and wipes away the sweat when a voice calls out to her. She turns around to see who it was. A scarred faced man stood in the entrance of the training grounds with his hands in his pockets.

He gives her a kind smile and she knew what he was going to ask already, "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? You deserve good food after training so hard."

"I'm not sure, I have to wake up early and I'm not really hungry..." she replies but her stomach fails her, and grumbles loudly, "Okay...maybe just this time."

"Come on," Shikaku gestures and she gets up from the ground. She packs up all her training equipment before running up to him to walk beside him.

✦✧✦✧

The Nara Clan compound was like nothing she had ever seen. It was hidden by trees and a large front gate with the Nara symbol. However, the inside was enormous. There were individual houses for the members and the largest house was that of the Head of the clan.

The back of the house faced the woodland area that was owned by the clan. Out of the whole compound, the part that attracted her attention the most was the cattle ranch for the deer. Shikaku had explained to her that they tended to the deer.

The scarred man walks up the steps onto the front porch and takes off his shinobi sandals to slip into his house slippers. He pushes a guest pair towards her, and she does the same as him. At the entrance of the house, there was an area to the right side where she could place her belongings.

He guides her through the entranceway hall into the living room. To the right of the living, there was an open doorway that led directly into the dining room. A woman and a boy her age sat at the dining table where the food was already set.

The boy raises an eyebrow when he sees his father walk in with an unknown girl. Well, he knew that she was the sleeping girl in class, but nothing else. He narrows his eyes knowing he had seen her before, but he couldn't remember where.

Shikaku sits next to the woman while she takes an awkward sit next to the boy she knew from class. She had never really talked to him. All she knew was that he was extremely smart even though he never showed it and that he was Shikaku's son.

He gives her a side glance when Aoi leans down to smell the food on the table. The table shakes slightly, "Ow!"

"Don't look at a girl like that!" the woman scolds him, and he scoffs at her, "Hello dear, I'm Yoshino and this rude boy here is Shikamaru. But you already knew that since you are classmates, right?"

"Yes," (Y/n) shyly answers with a small smile.

"Are you both friends or more than that?" the woman asks, dark brunette strands of hair falling into her face.

"I didn't know she existed until today," Shikamaru mutters rather harshly and he receives another under the table kick from his mother, "Ow!"

"Don't be rude," Yoshino scolds him, but smiles sweetly at (Y/n), "I'm very sorry for his awful attitude."

"It's fine," (Y/n) shakes her head to keep the peace, "He really didn't know I existed until today. I hid away from the others."

"Aw, and why is that dear?" Yoshino asks and Shikaku elbows her gently not to ask too many personal questions.

"Everyone seemed scared of me," she replies awkwardly. Her statement catches the attention of Shikamaru. His eyebrows furrow as he ponders where he had met her before. His brown eyes widen when he realizes where he knew from her.

He snaps his finger and points at her, "Death Touch girl!"

Shocked silence fills the room. No one knew how to react and Shikamaru quickly brings back his hand to his side, embarrassed by his outburst. He sneaks a glance at her to see her reaction.

Her expression stayed still. The sweet smile she had shown his mother never faltered, but one look at her eyes and he knew he messed up. Her eyes held sadness in them.

She suddenly stands from the table, "Ah! I just remembered! I needed to meet up with the Third Hokage today! I should go now before he leaves his office! Thank you for inviting me, but I must go now. Maybe some other time we can do this."

Before Shikaku could tell her to stay, she was out of the door. Her body trembles as she puts on her sandals and grabs her bag. Her legs shake from the anxiety flooding her veins. She runs out of the compound as tears fall. _Fuck_ , she thinks, _I'm so pathetic. I shouldn't have let it get to me._

She has always found the nickname rather silly so the words weren't what made her upset, it was that she had to be reminded that her parents died to a plague she survived.

The dining room stayed silent. No one knew what to say. Shikamaru felt like a complete idiot. He had just insulted a girl he barely knew. His father sighs deeply and looks over at him, "Shikamaru, you have to be gentler."

Shikamaru scoffs not wanting to hear his father's lecture. He already felt bad on his own. Shikaku frowns, "I think you should know this. (Y/n) came from a poor village where tomorrow was never certain. A plague hit that village and her parents fell victim to it. She's grown up with no parents or guidance much like Naruto and has become a victim of the village's bullying."

"If you are a man, then you would go apologize to her," Shikaku finishes his speech and digs into his plate to eat. Shikamaru pushes away the plate of food having lost his appetite, _man, this is so troublesome_.


	5. Genin

**Genin**

_Anger. That's all the beast felt. It had not only been forced into chains, but it had been forced to depend on a host. Without the bond of a human, the beast could not use its immense power, but what was worse than the bond was the ignorance of the host. That ignorance needed to be gone and the beast would wait until a spark ignites the truth._

✦✧✦✧

Morning had come earlier than she wanted. (Y/n) had ended up running home in tears and ate whatever was leftover from the previous night. She was a strong girl, she was used to the insult, but she was embarrassed. Aoi nudges his head against her cheek to make her get ready.

She sighs deeply before rolling out of bed. A long yawn escapes her lips as she stretches her limbs. She groggily walks up to her wardrobe and puts on the outfit that consisted of the black tank top and shorts along with her (f/c) cropped hoodie. She adjusts the belt around her waist and places her whip into its handle along with the two pouches.

She picks up Aoi and he wraps around her neck. She looks over at her kitchen and then at her clock and then back to her kitchen. She ponders, "He said not to eat breakfast...but he seems to have a habit of being tardy. What do you think?"

Aoi flicks his tongue and she nods, "I agree!"

✦✧✦✧

Naruto and Sakura sat on the ground, their stomach grumbling loudly while Sasuke stood to the side. Three hours had passed since they had arrived and there was no sign of Kakashi or (Y/n).

The blonde boy pouts while cupping his cheeks, "Do you guys think (Y/n) got too scared and decided not to come?"

"Maybe" Sakura mumbles, but her ears perk up when the sound of footsteps becomes louder.

All three of them look at the entrance of the training grounds. (Y/n) walks in with her bag hanging on her shoulder and her headband reflecting the sun rays. She waves at them, "What's up?"

"Don't 'what's up' us! Where were you?!" Naruto jumps up from his spot, "We've been waiting for hours."

"Well, I thought that his tardiness yesterday might mean he would be late today, and I took the chance," she smiles kindly at him, "Sorry for being late."

Naruto pouts at her, but his attention is drawn to someone behind her. Kakashi strolls up to them calmly, "Hello."

"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto shout at the same time. Their fingers pointing at him accusingly. Sasuke turns his head to glare at Kakashi while (Y/n) gives him a small smile.

Kakashi nervously chuckles, "A black cat crossed my path and I got distracted by the path of life."

"Bullshit," Naruto and Sakura both curse, and Kakashi nervously chuckles again.

He opens his bag and places a clock onto the wooden pole. He sets the timer for two hours before facing them. His hand reaches down into his pocket and he takes out two bells for them to see.

"I will explain the rules of the survival test once so pay attention," he states sternly causing all four of them to focus on him, "You must grab one of these bells before the timer goes off. The person who can't grab a bell will be tied up to a post and watch the others eat."

 _'That's why he told us not to eat breakfast'_ , Sakura thinks feeling the rumble of her stomach.

 _'Thanks to my instincts I got to eat breakfast'_ , (Y/n) hums in her head happy that she decided not to be on time.

"But wait, there are only two bells and four of us?" Sakura questions not understanding the purpose of the two bells. (Y/n) furrows her eyebrows when she realizes that only two people would pass, _what's the purpose of that?_

"Well, that way at least two of you will be tied up to the post and be sent back to the Academy," Kakashi smiles under his mask, "But that doesn't assure that only two will continue on. Maybe all of you will end up failing."

"In order to take these bells from me, you must come at me with the intent to kill. All weapons are allowed for use," Kakashi states and (Y/n) grabs her whip's handle out of habit. The reason why she had chosen a whip out of all other weapons was because of how flexible it can be. It reminded her of how Aoi moves.

"Those weapons are dangerous, sensei!" Sakura argues.

Naruto chuckles, "Yeah, especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser."

Kakashi looks over at Naruto with indifference, "Class clowns are usually the weakest link. They are the losers, have the lowest scores. When I say start, you may all begin."

Naruto grinds his teeth and runs at the silver-haired man with a kunai in his hand. (Y/n) raises her eyebrow at him. She had never met someone as quick-tempered as Naruto is.

In the blink of an eye, Kakashi held Naruto's head with his left hand while his right-hand pointed Naruto's kunai to the back of his head, "I didn't even say start yet."

(Y/n)'s eyebrows furrow. The man was certainly fast, and she never doubted his abilities as a jonin, but he was even faster than other jonin. If she wanted a chance to grab those bells, then she would have to distract him.

Kakashi lets go of Naruto and steps backward, "At least you came at me with the full intention of hurting me. How should I put this...I'm starting to like you guys."

"Start!" Kakashi exclaims. Sakura jumps away into a bush, Sasuke into a tree, and (Y/n) jumps into a high hanging branch that was hidden by the leaves.

Her eyes narrow when she notices that Naruto was still standing in front of Kakashi. _Is he going to take him directly on? He can't possibly be that reckless?_ She questions in her mind.

Her eyes widen when she sees him run up to Kakashi with a kunai in his hand. Before she could comprehend it, Kakashi was behind Naruto with his two hands together. Both his index fingers pointing upwards. He squats behind a stunt Naruto.

"Naruto! Get out of there quick!" Sakura screams out to him causing (Y/n) to facepalm. The pink-haired girl had just revealed her location in the bushes.

"Secret finger jutsu...a thousand years of death!" Kakashi loudly exclaims and shoves his fingers into Naruto's ass. The poor blonde boy goes flying into the lake. (Y/n) facepalms at the idiocy of the situation. She couldn't believe what she had just seen, but there was no time to think over it.

There was something about the bells that were off to her. Her eyes narrow as she thinks _, 'This survival test is meant to be about something important. Let's see. They place us in teams of three, well for our case four, then make us fight each other to see who can pass on to be an official genin.'_

_'What would be the point of making us get acquainted with each other when one or two of us could go back to the Academy? Maybe the bells aren't the objective but figuring out the point of this survival test is' she ponders, 'So what could this mean?'_

"Could it be...teamwork?" she mumbles quietly. Her hand slowly slithers into one of her pouches and grabs onto the handle of a kunai. With a flick of her wrist, the kunai lands on the dark tree bark.

"You were able to sense me?" a man's voice asks behind her and she twists her body to face Kakashi.

"That and that you're a clone," she replies and in a split second, a kunai pierces his chest causing the clone to become a puff of smoke.

"He knows where I am, we have to move," she whispers to Aoi who is wrapped around her neck. She jumps down from her branch onto the grass and sprints towards where the others were.

She comes into an open area where Sakura was passed out on the ground while Sasuke was stuck in the ground. She raises her eyebrow at the sight and Sasuke clicks his tongue in irritation.

(Y/n) crouches down and pokes Sakura, but the pinkette wouldn't wake up. She stands up and looks around the area. Her eyes narrow down onto Kakashi's figure. A book was in his hand and by the cover, it seemed to be a mature type of book.

"Oh, sensei, this is the first time I meet a pervert in person," she taunts him.

By his sudden stilled body, she could tell that she had gotten to him with that comment. His single eye looks at her and her left-hand wraps around her whip's handle, "I think I have you figured out."

"Do you?" he calmly asks.

"This whole test thing is actually not that hard...I bet I can take both of them from you," she taunts him further and she could see that he was growing more irritated.

He sighs, "And I have you figured out, (Y/n). While many will say Naruto's scores are the worst in ages, I would say yours are even worse. I've seen a record of what you've done at the Academy and I'm shocked you've gotten this far. You haven't been able to master any E rank techniques."

"That may be true, but school isn't the only way to prove my strength," she clicks her tongue and her body turns towards the black-haired boy stuck in the ground, "Sasuke!"

"Wha-What?!" Sasuke shouts out in surprise at her sudden movements, she runs towards him. His onyx eyes widen when the silver-haired man dives between him and the girl. Kakashi takes out a kunai from his pouch.

As if it was in slow motion, the kunai slashes through the (s/t) skin of her forearm. (Y/n) dives down to act like she was going to grab onto the bells, but Kakashi's instincts make his body twist to the side letting her body tumble onto the ground.

Dust lifts once her body collides with the ground. A loud grunt of pain escapes her lips. Her right-hand grabs onto her bleeding forearm. She flips her body so her left leg kneels on the dirt while her right foot was planted on the ground.

Her (e/c) eyes dart down at the ripped fabric of her hoodie and the blood dripping down her forearm. Kakashi didn't know what to say or do. He never intended to hurt her. All he wanted was for her to get away from Sasuke, but she didn't dodge.

The alarm goes off indicating the end of the survival test. She glares down at the ground knowing she had failed to inform her teammates, "Fuck."

"Looks like the survival test is over," Kakashi finally speaks and his gloved hand moves to his hip to grab onto the bells. His eyes go wide when he doesn't feel the bells, "What?"

"Thank you," (Y/n) says towards Aoi as he slithers onto her lap with the bells in his mouth.

"How?" was the only thing Kakashi was able to say. However, (Y/n) didn't need to explain it because it clicked in his head. She had used herself as a decoy and placed her trust onto a snake.

Sasuke breaks out of the ground in a foul mood. How could a nobody be able to take the bells without even fighting? How could he, an Uchiha, not have been able to do it? He was beyond pissed and all he could see was red.

He walks past her without offering help and leaves to meet at the training grounds. He couldn't believe that he would end up going back, but she would continue on to be a genin because of pure luck.

(Y/n) frowns in his direction, but her attention is called forward when Kakashi outstretches his hand for her to grab. She kindly grabs his hand with her right hand and he pulls her up from the ground.

"I apologize for what I said about your scores," Kakashi speaks up.

She shakes her head, "I was taunting you, so I deserved it...and...you were right..."

Aoi pokes out of her hoodie's collar with the bells in his mouth. She grabs onto the bells and places them in Kakashi's hand, "I don't think I deserve these bells."

"And why is that?" he asks her curious to see what her answer would be.

"I wasn't able to help my teammates. I spent too much time thinking instead of acting. So I would like to receive the same punishment as my teammates" she replies surprising him.

He smiles at her through his mask, "I see. We should meet up with the others and get your forearm bandaged."

"Yes," she smiles up at him.

✦✧✦✧

Naruto was tied up on the post while Sasuke sat to his right and Sakura stood to his left. (Y/n) stood next to Kakashi with her hoodie's left sleeve rolled back to show off the wound. He picks up a cotton swab and dips it in the rubbing alcohol. He then begins to sanitize her wound. She scrunches her eyebrows at the hissing pain.

"I have decided that I won't be sending anyone back to the Academy," Kakashi states as he continues cleaning up her wound, "Instead, you'll all be dropped."

"What? How can you do that?! You can't just kick us out!" Naruto screams out in protest, wiggling his body against the rope.

Sasuke glares at the bells on Kakashi's hip. Something had happened between Kakashi and (Y/n) after he had left them alone in a heated rage, "But what about (Y/n)? Didn't she get the bells?"

Naruto's and Sakura's widen at Sasuke's comment. Had she really been able to take the bells from a jonin? Kakashi looks at them before answering, "She gave them back to me. She told me that she didn't deserve the bells, so she asked me to give her the same punishment as you all."

"What? Why would you do that?" Sasuke glares harshly at her. His onyx eyes reflected anger, _how can she be so stupid?_

"You would all understand if you knew what the point of this test was," the silver-haired man states. He throughs down the bloodily cotton swabs. He places a gauze pad on the now clean wound and then wraps the badges around her forearm.

Once he was done, (Y/n) walks towards her team to stand next to them. She gives Sakura a soft smile before turning to look at Kakashi, "You all think and act like brats, not like shinobi."

Sasuke clicks his tongue and lunges at Kakashi. In an instant, Sasuke was on the ground with Kakashi's foot on his head, "You guys think this is a game, huh? Why do you think that we put you in squads? And don't look at (Y/n) for help. She already has it figured out."

"How are we supposed to know why you put us in teams?" Naruto kicks around.

"Because you're supposed to work together as a team. This whole test was for you four to work together into getting the bells," Kakashi states.

"If we had gotten the bells as a team, then we have to decide who would pass and fail," Sakura argues back, and she looks over to (Y/n).

(Y/n) pets Aoi with her right hand, "We wouldn't have decided who passes or fails. We would have given him an ultimatum. Either all four of us pass or none of us pass. It's a way to be selfless."

Kakashi nods his head in agreement. He takes out a kunai from his leg pouch and points it at Sasuke's throat, "On a mission, something like this could happen. Sakura if you don't kill Naruto, then I'll kill Sasuke."

The pinkette freezes in her spot. She couldn't imagine her beloved Sasuke in such a dangerous predicament. Naruto sweats nervously waiting to see what she would do.

Kakashi places the kunai back in his pouch and walks up to a stone that had names on it, "One every mission, your life is put in danger. This stone has the names of all the heroes in the village."

"That's it! I've decided that I'm going to have my name on that stone!" Naruto exclaims excitedly in contrast to Kakashi's melancholic voice. (Y/n)'s stomach twists.

"Naruto, you don't want your name there," she tells him in a soft voice.

"Eh? Why?" Naruto asks.

"Because these heroes are K.I.A.," Kakashi states.

"K.I.A.? That sounds cool!" Naruto cheerily says.

(Y/n) facepalms, "K.I.A. means killed in action."

"Oh..." Naruto mutters and his head hangs down in shame.

An awkward silence fills the atmosphere. (Y/n) pets Aoi thinking about her parents. She had not gone back to the village since she had left. She had never paid her respects or was able to bury them.

"I've decided to give you all a second chance," Kakashi states and turns to face them, "Eat your lunch and we'll do the test again. Whatever you guys do, do not feed Naruto. (Y/n), come with me so I can take you to the hospital."

"Okay?" she warily says and follows him through the entrance of the training ground.

He nods his head and they hide behind a wide tree trunk. He holds his hand up to tell her to be quiet. She sits down on the grass to play with Aoi while he listens to the rest of her team.

He looks down at the blue snake slithering through the grass. _This girl seems to have a close bond with that weird looking snake. I don't remember seeing her communicate or speak to the snake. They understand each other without even communicating._

His attention is drawn back to the rest of the team and he flickers to surprise them. (Y/n) picks up Aoi in her hands, "Looks like we have to go back and meet up with the rest."

Aoi flicks his tongue in agreement. He slides around her neck, his head peeking out of her hoodie's collar. She sees Sakura jump up excitedly while Naruto wiggles in the ropes with glee. She could even see a small faint smile on Sasuke's face. Kakashi had told them they passed the test.

"Wait, what about (Y/n)? Did she pass?" Naruto asks his curious blue eyes on her.

"She actually passed the test when she handed me back the bells. She said she didn't deserve to pass the exam because she failed to inform and help her team," he smiles down at her, "Since Team 7 has passed, then our first mission will be first thing tomorrow morning. For now, let's all rest."

Everyone cheers except for (Y/n). She was helping Naruto get out of the ropes. He stretches his body and he gives her a wide grin, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiles back at him. She watches him run off with the rest leaving her behind. A frown appears on her face feeling as though her team had left her. However, Naruto turns around. He runs up to her and grabs onto her right wrist.

"Come on, let's go celebrate," he smiles warmly at her, pulling her forward to run with him to catch up with the others. As he pulls her forward she feels her body pulsate as if something had awoken in her.


	6. The Assassin

**The Assassin**

_Death was all the beast needed to spread its wings. Death was all it needed to shake the chains holding it down. It could sense it, it could taste it, it could feel it in its grasp. It couldn't wait, for death was close and its host was oblivious._

✦✧✦✧

Fog blinded her vision. It was hard to see what was right in front of her. All she could hear was the ripple of water and the sound of the paddle splashing the water. Everyone sat in the boat silently as it made its way into the Land of the Waves. Aoi sat wrapped around her throat, communicating everything he could sense. 

He warned her of an upcoming infrastructure. The boat comes closer as the fog slowly clears and her vision is met by an unfinished bridge. Naruto's loud voice fills the emptiness but it's met with a harsh hush from Kaji, the boat owner.

"Are you crazy?" he whispers shout at the blonde, "Keep it quiet! If they catch us, then we'll be in big trouble."

(Y/n) turns back to look at Tazuna before looking at Kakashi. Although it was hard to see, she could sense their uncertainty, especially her sensei's. She knew that their mission could get more dangerous as they continue on. She felt sick to her stomach. 

Both her ninjutsu and genjutsu were lacking, she barely had any chakra. All she had were her taijutsu skills, but those weren't a match for higher-level shinobi or better yet, for higher-level shinobi that were out for blood. 

Yes, she had gotten lucky with Kakashi that day of the survival exercise, but only thanks to Aoi. Plus, she had gotten hurt in the process. The wound had finally healed, but it had left a rather nasty scar on her left forearm. 

What if a more powerful shinobi sent by Gato were to show up once they made it to the land? She would be screwed. She shakes her head and slaps her cheeks, _No! Focus! You're on a real mission with really evil people as your enemy, you got this!_

The boat soon docks and they dismount onto the platform. Naruto took the lead of the group while Tazuna and (Y/n) walked right behind everyone. Her stomach twists as Aoi's body tightens around her throat. He was warning her of nearby danger. He had sensed someone.

Her hand wraps around the handle of her whip as her ears tune out the sounds of her teammates. Training with Aoi had its special perks. She had learned how to become spatially aware by opening her range of hearing. It's how she was able to detect Kakashi's clone in the survival test. However...

Naruto's sudden shout rings in her ears causing her to cover them. Her ears became a lot more sensitive to loud sounds that are near to her. It was a weakness the ability had.

"Naruto!" she scolds him. She glares over at Naruto who was awkwardly scratching his cheek. He had thrown a shuriken at a bush thinking there was a person hiding behind it. She rolls her eyes at him, maybe using her spatial awareness wasn't the best idea being so close to Naruto.

"Hey! Midget!" Tazuna screams at Naruto, "Stop scaring us!"

Naruto didn't seem to care because a rustle in the bush to his left catches his attention. In a quick motion, the blonde, blindly, threw a shuriken at the bush. (Y/n) was about to scold the blonde again when Aoi tightens around her throat again, but this time with a little more force.

Someone was deadly close to them. She slowly makes her way to stand by Tazuna while Sakura hits Naruto upside the head and Kakashi checks what was in the bush. The fog seemed to become heavier as sweat forms on her brow.

Aoi's hiss fills her ears and in a sudden motion, she pushes Tazuna to the ground. She ducks right as a large blade sweeps above her head. Her (e/c) eyes rapidly look over her teammates to see if everyone was alright. Sakura had thrown herself over Naruto to cover him while Kakashi and Sasuke had ducked.

Her eyes make their way to the large blade embedded into the thick tree trunk. A tall man stood on the handle of the blade. He wore no shirt, but a mask covering his lower, facial features and vertical striped pants with cow print leg warmers. His forearms were also covered in the same cow print.

Their eyes meet and a chill runs down her spine, anxiety floods her veins. He wasn't like the two other shinobi they had fought, he was far worse and he was out for blood. She finds the strength to stand, her eyes narrowing down, glaring at him to put on a facade that she didn't fear him. But, it seemed that her eyes caved in and revealed the truth for he smirked down at her like if she was an ant he was about to squish.

His eyes divert from her to Kakashi. He stood in front of the group with his hand out to block Naruto from running towards the man. His calm, but stern, voice breaks the silence, "Naruto, stand down. He is different from the other shinobi we fought."

"Well...if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, the kid who left the Land of Mist", Kakashi's left-hand wraps around the headband that was covering his left eye, "Everyone, stay back."

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye," Zabuza states darkly, "Could you surrender the old man?"

(Y/n)'s eyes widen at the nickname her sensei had. _Sharingan? But he's not an Uchiha? He's a Hatake? Why does he have the Sharingan?_

Sasuke seemed to have the same questions too. His eyebrows scrunch as his lips become a tight line. He was perplexed as to how someone not of the clan had the Sharingan. Kakashi lifts up his headband, revealing a red eye that had a black design inside.

"Everyone, get in the manji battle formation," he states.

"Wait a minute! What the heck is a Sharingan?" Naruto asks.

"It's an ocular ninjutsu that allows the user to break any genjutsu and learn and mirror any kind of technique," Sasuke explains, still perplexed how someone outside of his clan has the eye.

Zabuza nods, "When I was an assassin for the Kirigakura, I had a bingo book that had extensive research on all of our enemies, especially you. Your record was rather impressive, stating you had been able to penetrate and copy over a thousand different techniques."

_Cool!_ Naruto thinks in awe.

"That's enough chit chat now," Zabuza states, "I have a job to finish and that's to kill that old man...but it seems that I'll have to kill you first, Kakashi."

In a swift motion, Zabuza jumps from his blade, ripping it away from the tree trunk and landing on water. (Y/n)'s hand grabs onto the handle of the whip, taking it out of the belt in order to defend herself.

The fog thickens as he places his right hand in front of his face and lifts his left arm up into the sky. His body vanishes into the fog leaving only but a leaf on the water. (Y/n)'s grip tightens around the handle as she tries to focus on the sounds around her. 

"Everyone, don't let your guard down! If you do, then you're dead," Kakashi warns as he gets ready for the attack.

"There are three targets" a dark voice speaks in the fog making the hairs on (Y/n)'s neck stand. He was close, and he was ready to strike, "Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, heart...so many choices. What vital, vulnerable place shall I choose?"

A sickening, evil laugh resounds off the trees making everyone more stressed. (Y/n) takes a deep breath in, she needed her nerves to be calm, or else she could compromise her position. She couldn't let his taunting get to her. Even though her legs were shaking, she had to push through or else she'll be the first to die. _I can't let my team down!_

A sudden wave of pain flooded her body. She hadn't been hit, but it was simply the sense of her life being in someone's grasp. He could easily chop her head off and she wouldn't realize it until she made her way into the underworld. However, the pain ceased as something pulsed inside her body giving her courage. 

Her nerves calm, her head clears, and her grip tightens as she concentrates. Whatever had been that pulse had made her more confident in her abilities. Kakashi had sensed the pulse, but he had also sensed Sasuke's shaking body so he chose to focus on the boy, "Sasuke, calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll always protect you. I will never let my comrades die!"

Even though his words were encouraging, Zabuza had sneaked his way into the formation. He had gotten in the space between Tazuna and Sakura and Sasuke. (Y/n) was positioned behind Tazuna and a tight squeeze from Aoi made her sprint into action.

Her hand wraps around Tazuna's backpack, pulling him down onto the ground to duck as the hand holding her whip motions towards the man. The leather of her whip wraps around Zabuza's right hand to keep him from making hand signs while Kakashi stabs him with a kunai.

Zabuza's body turns into a large puddle of water, the whip's end falling onto the ground as she stands behind Tazuna protectively. The assassin suddenly appears behind Kakashi and cuts him in half, but his clone turns into water. Kakashi now appears behind Zabuza with a kunai pressed against his throat, "It's over."

"Awesome!" Naruto and Sakura cheer while Sasuke smirks, but (Y/n) wasn't about to let her guard down. Kakashi is good, but that didn't mean that Zabuza didn't have something planned or could easily flip the situation.

"Fool, you think you can just copy me like an ape and win?" Zabuza taunts him, "But, hey, you're good! You were able to copy me in such a short time. But...I am not that easy to fool!"

Zabuza suddenly appears behind Kakashi, his sword comes forward in full force, but Kakashi ducks. However, Zabuza was faster because he twists on his left foot and kicks the white-haired man in the stomach, throwing him a few feet back in the lake.

"Sensei!" Naruto screams after him.

(Y/n)'s eyes narrow, _This is bad, this is really, really bad. If Kakashi was so easily knocked like that, then how strong can Zabuza be? I can't panic now! I need to have a clear head._

She pulls back her whip to be ready for an attack. Zabuza goes into the lake and traps Kakashi in a water prison. Everyone was shocked because now it meant that Zabuza would come after them. Just as they thought, a clone of Zabuza appears from a puddle in front of Naruto.

"Naruto, get back!" (Y/n) screams at him, but it's too late. The clone had kicked the blonde back, his headband falling off.

"Everyone! Take Tazuna and run away! There is no way you can handle his clone! If you get far enough then he can't control his clone anymore and you'll be safe!" Kakashi screams from the bubble. 

(Y/n) freezes at the words. How could they leave him behind? He was their sensei and the only experienced shinobi in the group. He was the only one who could defeat Zabuza or any other high-ranked shinobi. They needed him. They couldn't just leave him.

She takes a deep breath. They needed to get Kakashi out of the water prison. Her eyes analyze the situation in front of her. Naruto was still laying on the ground and she could tell he was bleeding. Sakura had to stay back with Tazuna to protect him while Sasuke stood next to her. 

The clone was the only thing between them and Kakashi. They would have to distract the clone in order to get by and get to Kakashi. She sees Naruto run back to the team, blood dripping down his chin. He was hurt badly from that kick.

"Sasuke, (Y/n), I have a plan" he states confidently, a smirk on his face. By the twinkle in his eyes, she knew that he had thought of the same thing she did. He knew they had to get past the clone if they wanted to free Kakashi. She nods approvingly, taking a step between Sakura and Tazuna.

The clone narrows his eyes down at her, ignoring both Naruto and Sasuke. A smirk form on her lips, the clone was more interested in her than the others meaning that she would be the perfect distraction.

Naruto makes his signs to create his shadow clones. Once they appear, they attack the Zabuza clone, but he uses his sword to defend himself. All the shadow clones go up in smoke except for Naruto who jumps back. Sasuke reaches out and catches a large shuriken that Naruto had thrown.

(Y/n)'s eyes light up, she knew now what the boy had planned. The same thing she had thought. She takes the opportunity to fling her whip towards the Zabuza clone to draw his attention to her. He swings his sword backward to gain momentum, however, something from the corner of his eye makes him duck. 

Sasuke had thrown the large shuriken, spinning past the clone and towards the water prison. Zabuza scoffs at the attempt, crouching as it passes over his head, "I told you, kids, that your tricks won't work on me."

The shuriken turns into a puff of smoke, revealing Naruto who throws a kunai in the assassin's direction. Zabuza removes his hand from the water prison, but his eyes go wide as he realizes his mistake.

Water splashes down, revealing an angry white-haired man. His raging eyes pierce Zabuza's soul and he knew he was doomed if he didn't act fast. He takes a step back, but Kakashi copies him.

Every movement he made, every breath he took, was all copied. Zabuza needed to calm himself, he couldn't panic and he certainly couldn't lose. His life depended on it.

(Y/n)'s eyes widen in joy. They had a chance now to take down the assassin, all she needed to do was stand back and protect the bridgebuilder.

She readjusts the whip on her belt, taking a few steps back to take a protective stance in front of Tazuna as her eyes analyze the battle unfolding in front of her.

Before she knew it, a large wave forms in front of them. She couldn't believe the raw power she was witnessing. She never thought Kakashi would be so powerful.

Water crashes against her body, pushing her back into the line of trees. The water clears quickly as Zabuza tries to find where the white-haired man had gone. His eyes gape at the man right above him, ready to take his life.

Kakashi's eyes darken as he pulls out a kunai, "I foresee...your death."

However, fate would have it a different way as needles pierce his large body. His body goes limp as a boy appears before the group.

His black hair was pulled back in a bun, and an ominous mask covered his face. His soft voice breaks the shocked silence, "Your prediction came true."


End file.
